I always went to a coed school so I never put much thought into same sex education. I don’t remember if learning with boys impacted my confidence levels or comfortability, but I do recall the distraction. We were always asking each other who we “liked” or “like liked,” my fashion choices were predicated on what would make me most attractive, and popularity was definitely determined by how much the boys were interested in you.

Although The Munch is far from the age of going to school, today in mommy/baby play group she was exclusively around girls for the first time in her life! The social dynamic between the girls was drastically different from when the boys were there, and The Much was infinitely more explorative than usual. It was fascinating to watch how the girls’ personalities were exaggerated because in the presence of boys they seem more observational than participatory.

Seeing this obvious shift of personality in The Munch left me feeling conflicted. On the one hand we don’t live in single sex world, and The Munch is going to have to learn to negotiate through life with men. But at the same time, building a foundation in an environment that is same sex might establish a substantive unique assurance and sense of freedom that she would otherwise lack.

There is an intimidation factor in the school atmosphere when you are competing with boys for the attention from teachers. Boys are often more vocal and willing to express an idea even if they are unsure if it is correct, where girls usually only speak up when they think they are right. Then there is also the issue of obsession. I have wasted a lot of time in my life thinking about boys, stressing out about boys, wondering about boys, and maybe the constant exposure only exacerbated this human tendency. I am sure that at an all girls school boys are often on the mind, but they are not so intertwined with your experience with education.

“Hey… what do you think of this outfit? Pretty hot right?”